There’s one recording that will wear out faster than the others (and sadly, I foolishly misplaced the original copy of the recording somewhere between here and Denver) – Jerry Orbach’s Off Broadway.

I know I’m slow about many things and to not even learn that the man behind Lennie Briscoe, the voice behind Lumiere was already an established Broadway performer is one of them. Granted, I didn’t discover Law and Order until later, but that’s for another post. When I found out Orbach was the original Billy Flynn of Chicago, I decided to track down his various recordings. Borrowing a copy of 42nd Street, it amazed me how many songs I had already heard before, just never knowing the source of them until then. Yes, I was woefully slow in most things theatre as well.

Getting back to Orbach- Off Broadway was recorded because of the encouragement of others behind the curtain who had the joy of listening to him sing behind the scenes while sets were changed out either during rehearsal or before performance. The twelve songs chosen are a delight, as are all the other recordings he has done.

That had me perusing the listing of recordings and the people behind them.

Danny Kaye, Fred Astaire and Bette Midler were already known for their vocal talents before taking to the stage and screen. So were Queen Latifah, aka Dana Owens, Robert Guillaume, Huey Lewis, Harry Connick Jr. and Meatloaf.

Then you have those who found success on the stage or screen before anyone realized their musical talents: Jane Horrocks, Mandy Patinkin, Brent Spiner, Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Jamie Foxx, and Wayne Brady to name a few who have recorded various albums.

Then there’s the other group – the ‘what do you mean they can sing/act?’ – whose brief foray is seen as a fluke: Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellwiger, Will Smith, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep.

Granted we are far removed from the old Studio system days where actors were expected to sing and before the dawn of music videos where singers were expected to act, and yet it is a quirky surprise to stumble upon those who are gifted to perform in either media of entertainment well.